The 11th century Brihadisvara temple of Thanjavur, which was inscribed in 1987, attained an addition of two great Chola Temples of the 11th and 12th centuries. The Great Living Chola Temples were erected by kings of the Chola Empire, which extended over all of South India as well as the neighbouring islands. The site currently incorporated the three great 11th and 12th century Chola Temples: the Brihadisvara temple of Thanjavur, the Temple of Gangaikondacholisvaram and the Airavatesvara temple at Darasuram. Rajendra I built the Temple of Gangaikondacholisvaram in 1035. Its 53-m high vimana (sanctum tower) has recessed corners and moves upwards in an elegant curve, contrasting with the straight and severe tower at Thanjavur. Guarding the entrances and remarkably beautiful bronzes of the interior are six pairs of massive, monolithic dvarapalas statues. Rajaraja II built the Airavatesvara temple complex at Darasuram, which features a 24-m vimana and a stone image of Shiva. The temples bear witness to the Cholas accomplished achievements in architecture, sculpture, painting, and bronze casting. --WHMNet paraphrase from the description at WHC Site, where additional information is available. For 360 degree imaging of this site, click here.

The Great Living Chola Temples are temples built during the Chola rule in the south of India. These temples are the Brihadisvara Temple at Thanjavur, the Temple of Gangaikondacholisvaram and the Airavatesvara Temple at Darasuram. The Brihadisvara Temple was declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1987; the Temple of Gangaikondacholisvaram and the Airavatesvara Temple at Darasuram were added as extensions to the site in 2004. The site is now known as the "Great Living Chola Temples". --Wikipedia. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. For 360 degree imaging of this site, click here.